Davina's POV
I was completely drained. My feet throbbed from hours of standing, my head pounded from dealing with one difficult customer after another, and my spirit felt hollow from another day of pretending everything was fine.
Velvet Crown had been packed tonight, and all I craved now was to catch the next bus home, collapse into bed, and hope my mother and siblings weren't around. I couldn't handle them today—not their chaos, their criticism, and their endless reminders of the reputation I desperately wanted to shed.
I waited at the bus stop, gripping my bag firmly, watching headlight after headlight sweep past me. The evening air felt crisp, the wind playing with loose strands of my hair.
The rumble of an engine broke through my thoughts. I glanced up, startled, as a glossy black sports car came to a halt right in front of me. Its bright headlights flooded me with harsh light. I squinted and stepped backward, prepared to run if needed.
Nothing positive ever happened when fancy cars pulled over for people like me.
The door swung open, and Irvin stepped out.
My breath hitched.
He wasn't merely attractive; he was breathtakingly gorgeous. Tall with powerful shoulders, features sculpted like ancient marble, and a commanding presence that demanded notice, Irvin was everything people whispered he was. His aura was suffocating, the type that stole your breath before you even knew what hit you.
He rested against his car with casual elegance, his eyes locked on me as if time meant nothing to him.
"Hey," he said, his voice silky and tinged with cocky confidence.
I blinked, wondering if my tired mind was hallucinating. I looked over my shoulder, then again, convinced he must be speaking to someone else. There was no way a Jenkin would be addressing me.
"I'm talking to you, Hughes," he said with a smirk.
My thoughts scattered. All I could manage was stuttering. "W-what? Me?"
"Yup."
I held my bag closer. I stared at him like he'd just claimed the moon was purple. "Why... why are you speaking to me?"
His smirk grew wider, and then, completely out of nowhere, he said, "Go on a date with me."
I went rigid. The words struck me like lightning. Had I heard correctly? I blinked frantically, expecting a joke, but his expression stayed serious, almost entertained.
"What?" I gasped. "Y-you have a girlfriend."
Irvin shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Not anymore. We split up. Check the headlines, Hughes."
The offhand way he delivered it made me feel like I'd entered some bizarre parallel universe. My brain fought to process this.
"I don't get it," I said, my voice trembling.
"How much?"
I blinked again. "What?"
"I asked, how much to go on dates with me?"
It took a moment for his words to sink in. My mouth fell open as understanding dawned. "You... you want to pay me to date you?"
"Maybe," he said, his tone casual, like he was discussing tomorrow's weather.
"Why?" I asked, my voice climbing with bewilderment.
"You don't even know my name!"
"I know enough, Hughes."
God! I hate being called that. I felt rage burning beneath my exhaustion. My hands clenched into fists. "No," I said with conviction.
Irvin lifted an eyebrow. "What?"
"I said no."
He cocked his head, genuinely taken aback. "Why?"
I gaped at him in disbelief. "What do you mean, why? You don't know me. You've never spoken to me before. And now you suddenly want to—what? Purchase me for dates? When I saw you just yesterday with your girlfriend."
"Don't tell me you were watching me, Hughes," he said, his smirk sliding back into place.
"You wish," I shot back.
"Trust me, that can't be part of my wishes," he replied smoothly. His eyes sparkled with amusement. "Name your price, Hughes."
"I said no!" I snapped, my voice unwavering. "You can't just purchase people to date you. I'm not interested."
Irvin's smirk wavered for an instant. He moved closer, his presence suffocating, as he looked down at me. "You're a Hughes," he said, his voice dropping low. "Stop pretending you have any dignity."
My chest constricted, fury rising inside me. "Please, leave me alone," I said between clenched teeth.
He backed away, his smirk sliding back like armor. "Three dates. Five thousand, each."
My eyes went wide. "What?"
"You heard me. Sleep on it, Hughes."
And with that, he spun around, climbed into his car, and sped away, leaving me standing there, stunned, my mind spinning into complete disorder.
"What the hell?"